Ten kisses
by toobeauty
Summary: February is considered the month of Love and Friendship. These are ten different kisses between our two favourite lovers. COMPLETE
1. Kiss 1

The two young men had been practising their movements since Eos had appeared in the sky and brought dawn with her and her rosy fingers.

It had been a strenuous practice but both soon-to-be-warriors had practised longer and harder than their Companions had. Their king was preparing the invasion of Persia and he had let them know that they would take part in it if their Commander thought they were ready. The one-eyed King already knew that his son and his lover were more than ready to fight and take of themselves on the battlefield.

It was almost dinner time when the blonde and the brunette left their fifteen-hour practice. There was not a single muscle in their bodies that did not hurt but they were confident of their skills and expertise.

As soon as they entered their shared chamber, they fell on their beds and remained still for some minutes. They were so tired that they had decided to skip dinner and go directly to sleep.

They also decided not to take a bath on the hot tub because they were afraid they could fall asleep in the warm water.

They brought some bowls with tepid water and cleaned themselves thoroughly with a washcloth.

Alexander saw Hephaestion wince when he took off his boots and he now could clearly see why, a big blister had appeared on his big toe; the skin was so reddish around the area that it looked almost purple.

He brought a stool closer and made Hephaestion sit on it.

"Let me take care of it; Mother gave a cream made of camomile and calendula that will cure it and prevent an infection" Alexander said while putting Hephaestion's right foot inside a bowl with clean cold water.

After washing it with extreme care, the prince dried it carefully and applied the cream on the blister and a little bandage on it. After that, he kissed it long and softly and then proceeded to kiss the rest of the toes more quickly.

Hephaestion looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

"I kiss the rest of the toes so they don't get jealous"

After saying that, the prince washed Hephaestion's left foot that, immediately after, received the same **toe kiss** treatment.

"_**You may conquer with the sword,  
but you are conquered by a kiss"**_.  
_Daniel Heinsius (1580-1655)_


	2. Kiss 2

Alexander was tired, so exhausted that he thought he would not be alive by the end of the day. His last campaigns and serious wounds had taken a toll on his body and it had taken longer for him to recover. He only wanted to go to his chamber and rest for a while before dinner.

He entered the room and found his soul mate already there, dressed in a midnight blue chiton and sandals, he was combing his long tresses in a braid.

"Alexander, you are late; get ready quickly because the ambassadors are about to come" the brunette said.

When he felt the tired and slow footsteps of his partner of twenty years, the brunette turned round and almost panicked at the vision in front of him; the king of the known world had his head almost leaning over his upper chest, there were black rings around his mismatched eyes and all his movements were very slow.

"Phai, could you please ask the ambassadors to wait for me for some minutes?" he asked while sitting in the bed.

"Of course, my king, I'll do that right away" Hephaestion said.

Fifteen minutes later, Hephaestion came back and found Alexander lying and dozing on their bed.

"Everything is already set, you will see them tomorrow early in the morning" Hephaestion said while approaching the bed.

"Oh! thanks" alexander murmured.

"Now, turn round Xander" Hephaestion asked the lying man.

"What?" he asked, still confused due to his sleepiness.

"Turn round and I will give you a back rub" Hephaestion said while disrobing himself until he was wearing only his loincloth.

He warmed some oil in his strong hands and massaged the king's back from neck to waist. He then continued with his legs and feet while the king sighed and moaned lowly with each massage turned into a caress.

The brunette made him turn round and continued with his massages on his neck, shoulders, chest and the front of his legs.

When the full body massage was finished, Alexander whispered "Thanks" and fell asleep. Hephaestion washed his hands and after drying them, he went back to their bed and spooning his partner, he also fell asleep.

Hephaestion woke up hours later when he felt a strange but nice pressure onto his palms. He opened his cyan eyes, still loaded with sleep and saw Alexander kissing his palms repeatedly.

"Xander, are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Almost perfect" he said and kissed Hephaestion's right palm again.

"Why are you doing that?" Hephaestion asked but he was truly enjoying the unexpected caress.

"Because they are my salvation; they caress, they massage, they transmit calmness and love but mostly they are the only palms I want to feel on me" and after saying that, the Macedonian king set another **kiss on each palm** of his beloved Chiliarch.

_**You don't realize what you do to me  
And I didn't realize what a kiss could be  
Mmm, ya got a way about ya  
Now I can't live without ya  
Never knew what I missed 'til I kissed ya, uh-huh  
I kissed ya, oh yeah**_

_Everly Brothers, Till I kissed you._


	3. Kiss 3

The war meeting had been one of the worst alexander had ever taken part in. his Generals did not want to follow his orders because they thought they were too reckless. After the disaster of the Geodrosian Desert, some of his Chief Commanders had started to think that alexander might do anything to achieve his goals, even if that implied putting his men under the most extreme situations.

After discussing for hours, they had not reached to one good tactic to proceed with the conquests but they had all left the room promising to go on thinking other safer ways to achieve the same results.

A&H *******

When the last Companion left the room, Alexander sat on his chair and sighed loudly, trying to understand why no one saw the things like he did.

A baritone voice said:

"They will come to their senses, alexander, and if not you can command them to do as you think or be left behind"

"You always say what I need to hear" a tired Alexander stated.

"Not always, Alexander, but I know better than them how to fight my battles with you" Hephaestion said and on his way out, he set a kiss on the king's lips.

"That was quite unexpected" Alexander said, a bit surprised.

"Yes. Didn't you like it?" he asked, now nervously.

"Of course I did and I'm sure I can get accustomed to them soon" alexander said with a tiny smile on his face.

And that was why Alexander started to get **unexpected kisses** and loved each one of them.

* * *

"_**The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender"  
**__Emil Ludwig (1881-1948)_


	4. Kiss 4

Alexander had been planning this for a while. He had already thought about all the things he would need and had also asked for help for those things he had no idea how to do it.

The Macedonian prince was head over heels in love with his gorgeous Phai and wanted to show him how much he loved him. Even though his relationship was quite new, it had evolved so quickly that both youths could affirm that they were soul mates.

They had recently discovered the fantastic sensations that kisses arose in their bodies and they spent every single alone moment kissing, bordering into snogging. Nighttime was the worst part because both youths slept in different chambers so their goodnight kiss was filled with love and longing. Alexander decided that he should find a solution for that situation so he asked Lanike to sew two big fur skin blankets together on both sides and the bottom so it could become a big bag. Lanike was surprised by his request but the prince said that he wanted to surprise Phai with it. The old woman smiled and patting the prince's back wished him good luck.

On a beautiful cool night, Alexander decided to put his plan into action. He walked towards Hephaestion's chamber and after knocking softly on the door, he let himself in. He woke Phai up and led him to the farthest part of the garden. He opened the bundle he had been carrying and after setting it on the floor, he asked Hephaestion to crawl into it and then he did the same.

A big smile appeared in Phai's face and he quickly hugged his beloved covering his face with tiny kisses.

And they truly spent the whole night sharing **camping kisses** under the stars.

* * *

**Oh how my love song gently cries**

**For the tenderness within your eyes**

**My love is a prelude that never dies**

**A prelude to a kiss**

_Ella Fitzgerald, Prelude to a kiss_


	5. Kiss 5

Alexander looked at his lover while Hephaestion was resting after delivering baby Hope; the little one was resting too but in the king's arms. The most powerful man in the known world had felt his heart swell with so much love that he thought it would explode in a million pieces.

The newly born princess began to stir and make low whining noises that even the new father realized the little one was hungry. While calling for the princess's nana so she could bring her some milk, the king continued looking at his lover and husband and he realized he was also stirring on the big bed.

The blonde man leaned over and set a gentle **kiss on the sleeping beauty's** lips who immediately kissed his King back.

"Hey love, ready to feed our Hope" he asked gently.

"With one more kiss of that, I will be" he replied

Another kiss was set on the beauty who was no longer sleeping.

* * *

"_**Where one drop of blood drains a castle of life, so one kiss can bring it alive again"**_

_The Sleeping Beauty_


	6. Kiss 6

It was Alexander's fortieth birthday and Hephaestion decided that, among the rest of his presents, he would prepare a special breakfast to serve his lover in bed. He slipped out of bed early, trying not to wake Alexander and after checking that he was still asleep, he headed to the royal kitchen. He found there their loyal Lena and sharing his secret with her, they put hands into actions and prepared all kind of treats that could be easily picked up. Small bites of sweet cakes, caramel figs, oatmeal biscuits and slices of apples and oranges appeared on the plates and a very happy Chiliarch made his way back to his husband.

He set the plates on a bedside table and kissed his king softly until two slits of grey and green appeared in the royal face. Opening his eyes completely, Alexander found his handsome lover lying by his side, propped on one elbow and staring at him with love.

After wishing him a happy birthday, the brunette picked a slice of apple and fed it to his lover. It was followed by a tender kiss, a piece of cake found its way to the king's mouth and then his lips were gifted with another kiss. And the kisses between bites continued until there was nothing left on the plates.

And after that, Alexander made love to his husband tenderly thanking him for giving the best present ever: **breakfast in bed kisses** with the man he would love till the end of times.

* * *

_**Oh, babe I wanna taste your lips  
I wanna fill your fantasy, yeah**_

_**I don't what I'd do without you, babe  
Don't know where I'd be  
You're not just another lover  
No, you're everything to me**_

_Exile, Kiss me all over _


	7. Kiss 7

Hephaestion woke up in an excellent mood; springtime was back and his lover and king of the known world had decided to stop his Army march for a fortnight to rest, gather supplies but the hidden main reason was Alexander wanted to spend some more time with his newly bonded mate.

It was the first day of their free time and Hephaestion was already awake at dawn; he enjoyed watching his partner sleep because it was in that moment when Alexander really looked his age; when there was not a frown in his forehead; when his eyes were closed but not tightly … when he was only his Alexander, his lover, his mare. His everything.

Alexander opened his mismatched eyes and smiled at the brunette with cyan eyes lying next to him on the bed.

"Joy to you, my Phai" Alexander whispered send snuggled into his partner's larger frame.

"Joy to you, my Xander" Hephaestion answered back and tightened his embrace around the tone body.

"What are you doing today?" Alexander asked curiously; he knew that his Phai had never been able to stay quiet for long so his mind must have thought hundreds of activities to do.

"I don't have the slightest idea; the only thing I know for sure is that you will soon receive one of my most fabulous kisses" the brunette said and left the bed he was sharing with his lover.

"A fabulous kiss? Can I have it now?" an eager and childish Alexander asked.

"Not now … later. I have things to do" Hephaestion replied.

"But you have just told me you did not have any idea about what to do" he said protesting due to the quick change of mind.

"I have just had a very good idea" Hephaestion said and left the chamber while alexander looked at him gombasked.

Hephaestion was careful and remained hidden from his lover, knowing that that would annoy or make his king eager.

By midday, Hephaestion sent one of the pages with a scroll in search of Alexander; it simply said, "One fabulous kiss is coming". The written reminder made alexander expectant and he had to recognize that the delay in getting his kiss was making him feel horny.

By mid-evening, another reminder got to Alexander's hands and he could no longer wait for the kiss so he went in search of his windward lover. He did not have to look for him further because his blue/eyed partner cornered him in the furthest part of the dining room and planted a long hot and passionate kiss on his lips that left them both breathless.

When the kiss was over, Hephaestion humbly asked:

"I hope my **kiss** was able to fulfil your **great expectations**"

Alexander simply nodded and kissed him back.

* * *

"_**Women still remember the first kiss after men have forgotten the last" **_

_Gourmont_


	8. Kiss 8

Alexander had been barking orders all day long; they had arrived early at dawn after months of campaign and the Great king only wanted to rest. However, it seemed as if it would not happen soon. He called for an informal meeting with his Generals and more orders were given; some would take care of the tents and supplies; others would see to the men, keeping list of who had been hurt, ill and deserved further attention. The ones who commanded the cavalry would take care of their four-legged friends and their health and needs.

Alexander even dared to give orders to the one who did not need them at all; Hephaestion, who was the most organized and efficient man in the while army, was also told to take care of the supplies and to have in order the sleeping arrangements.

Hephaestion, when Alexander finished commanding him what to do, looked at him with his cyan eyes, lifted an eyebrow and then nodded with all the respect Alexander's investiture deserved and left the room with his head held up.

All day long was a constant and frantic ordeal and when the time for the evening meal arrived, many people were not happy at all; they were very tired, the weather was still wet and hot and they were tiny insects that had been driving them crazy.

It was the quickest dinner Alexander could remember having and without wasting their time, the Generals said their goodbyes as soon s the meal was over.

He was about to bark another order when Hephaestion approached him and said in a low but commanding voice:

"Go to our room and wait for me there"

"Why?" Alexander asked, still in his authoritative mood.

"Because I order you" Hephaestion said and his expression was blank, as if it were carved in marble.

Without waiting for an answer, Hephaestion left the dining room, walking with a royal posture that could make people think he really was that.

Alexander looked at him perplex for a few seconds but then did ad he had been told.

Thirty minutes later, Hephaestion arrived, freshly bathed and combing his long brunette tresses with his fingers. He was only wearing silk sky-blue trousers with openings along his legs and the blonde king could easily see that his beloved husband was wearing nothing beneath them.

"Mm, nice, come closer" Alexander ordered Hephaestion.

"No" Hephaestion said and leaned onto the thick wood door.

"Why not?" Alexander could not understand why Hephaestion was behaving like that.

"Because you can bark orders all you want outside but in here, you are not my king but my mate, my equal" Hephaestion said and got a bit closer.

"Sorry, it's been quite stressing today" Alexander said with mismatched puppy eyes.

"I know. Come here, Alexander" Hephaestion ordered and this time, the blonde did not question at all.

When the king got near, Hephaestion snaked his arms around the strong waist and commanded:

"kiss me long an d wet"

Alexander looked at him and did as he was ordered. When the kiss was over, a breathless Hephaestion commanded again

"Kiss me long and tender"

Alexander smiled and saw the game behind the orders; Hephaestion was playing **kiss mandate**, a very old game they both had invented many years ago when they were teens and they only kissed each other. Alexander kissed him tenderly, to an inch of his lover's life.

When the need of oxygen was vital, both spouses stopped and whispered against swollen lips simultaneously:

"Make love to me"

None of the Generals saw the lovers for two whole days.

* * *

_**Kiss me quickly, while we still have this feeling**_

_**Hold me close and never let me go**_

_**'Cause tomorrows can be so uncertain**_

_**Love can fly and leave just hurting**_

_**Kiss me quick because I love you so.**_

_Elvis Presley, Kiss me quick._


	9. Kiss 9

Alexander had always paid more attention to Aristotle's classes on botanic' he had also had a previous teaching by his mother, queen Olympia was famous for her concoctions and her knowledge about healing herbs and many others, among other things.

Alexander was subtlety trying to woo his lover-to-be; being 15 and happily in love with him was difficult, even for the Macedonian prince.

He asked the royal cook to prepare Hephaestion's favourite food and add a very special herb. The cook looked at him and smiled, she knew the power hidden in that herb and Alexander blushed deeply. She kept the secret and cooked the meal for the lovers –to-be.

Alexander invited his Phai for as picnic dinner and the brunette accepted gladly. He was also in love with the prince but he knew it's led him nowhere but he'd enjoy their time together until he could.

Alexander served Hephaestion, in spite of the youth's protest, and he saw him take the first bite.

Moments after that, Alexander rushed to his Phai's lips and kissed him with all the love he could conceal in that kiss.

When he came up for air, he happily announced:

"Mom and Aristotle were right, **thyme** does really make your **irresistible kissable"** and he then rushed back with another passionate kiss that made Hephaestion's knees go weak.

* * *

_**Give me a kiss to build a dream on  
And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss  
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this  
A kiss to build a dream on**_

_Louis Armstrong, A kiss to build a dream on._


	10. Kiss 10

Well, here we are with the last kiss, _**The Best Kiss of All**_.

Thank you for your comments, they are really caresses to my heart.

* * *

Alexander was looking at his Phai sleep; the old Chiliarch had been ill and he was still recovering from a very bad chest infection.

The Royal doctor had been very worried about Hephaestion; it had taken him a full month to lower the high temperature and to lessen the pain in his chest. Hephaestion was a very good patient but he was the Macedonian King's bonded partner and the former blonde was not patient at all. He had threatened him with passing him by the sword if he did not heal his Phai. The young doctor had smiled discretely because he remembered his father telling him about a similar threat the old doctor had also received more than forty years ago in Ecbatana.

However, the old man had evolved favorably under the amorous care of his daughter-in-law and his three grandchildren. Phainder, his beloved son, had had the hard task to keep his own father calm and focused.

"Why aren't you sleeping, my king?" Hephaestion asked without opening his still cyan eyes; they were slightly bright less but as beautiful, as ever.

"I'm not sleepy" Alexander replied and racked his fingers through the short tresses.

Hephaestion had cut his hair many years ago because he had said that it was ridiculous for an old man to wear it long. The truth behind that lie was that Hephaestion hated his grey hair and when it was short, it was not so notorious. In fact, it was more but he had not wanted to admit that it was no longer soft and strong as before. Everybody was shocked when they first saw him but never said a thing because they saw him really convinced, however, no one knew that both old men had cried bitterly when they saw it lying on the floor.

"I like that; you were always good with your hands, my dear king" Hephaestion said and sighed loudly.

"Well, these arthritic fingers must still be better for something good as they cannot hold a sword steadily any longer" he said and sighed sadly.

"Hey Xander, don't get sad, don't you still have me and your family?" the Chiliarch asked.

"Yes, I do, the most perfect family any man could ask for and I also have another thing, a thing that makes my life better, my heart happier and everything worth living for" the king said with emotion in his still commanding voice.

Alexander said that and smiled at his husband who was looking back at him with so much love in his eyes that it was painful.

Alexander leaned over and took Hephaestion's lips in a long and teasing kiss. After nibbling the former brunette's bottom lip, he said:

"That! The best kiss of all, **the first kiss we give each other every morning**" Alexander explained.

"And if I may ask, why is that the best kiss, my king?" Hephaestion smiled, already suspecting the reason.

"Because it conveys all the love we feel for each other and the hope of another day to spend together"

After that simple explanation, the king of the known world took his husband's lips in as heart-stopping kiss that made their knees go weak; luckily, for them, they were still lying on their bed, in each other arms as it had been happening for the last fifty years.

* * *

_**When we first kissed that's when I realized**_

_**from then on I didn't want anyone else's lips to be on mine,**_

_**but yours.**_


End file.
